Escorted by Gardevoir and Zoroark, Elias swiftly made his way toward Giratina's location.
In fact, aside from Giratina itself, the Distortion World was relatively safe. Few Pokémon survived here, and the environnt was nothing but barren desolation.
"Oh right, Elias, where are Lucario and the others?"
As they moved along, Zoroark finally gave voice to a question she'd been holding back for a long ti.
She'd struggled for quite a while, unsure whether to bring it up. After all, from her perspective, several centuries had passed. Individuals like Elias and herself, surviving across centuries, were surely the exception.
It was likely that friends like Irida and Lucario had long since returned to the earth.
Asking about them might just reopen old wounds for Elias.
At her words, Elias montarily froze. It was indeed a troubling question.
He still wasn't sure if Cynthia had made it safely back to the present, or if Lucario had returned with her. According to the system, Cynthia should've co back shortly after his simulation ended…
Seeing Elias remain silent, Zoroark seed to understand sothing.
"Sorry, Elias. I shouldn't have asked."
She apologized softly, sighing inwardly.
Though she'd disliked Cynthia and Irida, the thought of them simply disappearing from the world still stirred complicated feelings within her. Without Elias's support, she herself would likely have perished long ago.
Gardevoir narrowed her eyes slightly, observing Elias and Zoroark's exchange.
From the sound of things, was there more than one new cat stealing her fish?
And yet…
That na, Cynthia—why did it seem oddly familiar?
A faint but clear sense of danger began simring in Gardevoir's chest.
"We're here."
After a while, Zoroark abruptly halted, her ears perking up alertly. She surveyed the area carefully before turning to Elias.
"That fat centipede should be nearby. We just need a mont to pinpoint its exact location."
Elias nodded in acknowledgnt, hand subconsciously resting on the [Origin Ball] at his waist.
He'd been unable to intervene much during the simulation, but now, finally able to confront Giratina in reality, he had no intention of holding back.
"Elias, the fluctuations of space-ti are even stronger now. Be careful," Gardevoir warned him seriously, eyes half-closed as she sensed their surroundings.
Everything had been stable for days. Why were Dialga and Palkia acting up today of all days?
---
Sinnoh Region
Under Cynthia's instructions, all roads leading up Mt. Coronet had been sealed, and the mountain evacuated of visitors.
Early in the morning, Lance and the others had already gathered near the Spear Pillar.
"Are these things really going to work on Giratina?"
Lance eyed the cannons being unloaded from the trucks nearby with curiosity.
According to Cynthia, these were capture devices designed by the Sinnoh League to subdue powerful, rampaging Pokémon.
"Relax. I've already made modifications to them."
Cynthia responded calmly.
And indeed, she'd upgraded the equipnt by incorporating [Origin Ore], significantly enhancing their capture capability.
Thinking this, Cynthia couldn't help but sigh softly.
[Origin Ore] was exceptionally rare; even leveraging League resources, she'd only managed to find scraps.
The only reason she possessed so much now was that Lucario had brought Elias's leftover Ore back with them from Hisui.
Without it, this plan likely wouldn't have been possible.
Even after hundreds of years, am I still relying on his help...?
She thought bitterly.
Beside her, Lance refrained from further questioning.
Instead, he walked over to Latias, who was hovering nearby.
"You ntioned another helper, right? Where are they?"
He glanced around as if searching.
Latias stiffened slightly. She also wanted to know why Steven hadn't arrived yet.
Just as she struggled to answer, a small dot appeared in the distant sky.
"Oh, he's here now."
Latias pointed toward the approaching figure.
Looking up, Lance spotted a helicopter—a very familiar one at that. It wasn't until it landed, clearly displaying Devon Corporation's logo, that Lance realized where he'd seen it before.
"Steven?!"
Lance stared in disbelief at the silver-haired young man stepping out of the aircraft.
He hadn't expected Latias to successfully enlist Steven's help.
Including Lance himself, this small gathering on Mt. Coronet now included three regional champions—usually sothing only seen at major global tournants.
"Lance?"
"Good to see you."
Steven paused briefly upon recognizing Lance, then greeted him politely before turning to Latias.
"Aunt Tias, sorry I'm a bit late."
"What did you need for?"
Latias hadn't explained much to him beforehand.
Latias waved a tiny hand, gesturing toward the nearby Spear Pillar ruins.
"Elias fell into the Distortion World."
"We'll need your help to rescue him shortly."
After explaining, Latias handed Steven a Poké Ball.
"tagross—thanks for lending it to earlier."
Instinctively, Steven accepted the Poké Ball.
Latias's tone had been deliberately casual to avoid creating tension, so at first Steven subconsciously thought the task ahead was just a straightforward rescue mission.
However, as her words fully registered, his pupils contracted sharply in shock.
"Wait—who?!"
Steven, always known for his composed, dignified manner, suddenly looked completely stunned.
Though he didn't raise his voice much, the obvious strain betrayed his shock.
Seeing Latias's serious expression, Steven's breathing quickened.
He'd rushed through his work at the company to make ti for this eting, but now regretted not having co sooner.
The news Latias delivered was nothing short of a [Hyper Beam] striking him directly in the mind.
---
T/N: YES STEVENS BACK
This concludes my tenure of leaving notes for you. If these chapters have brought you even a fraction of enjoynt, then I'll remind you one last ti: support sustains creation.
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